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The Hieratic Jabal
Since the founding of the Church of Humanity, Repentant in 2969, rare and scattered members of House Crux have been drawn to its teachings. Debates over the severity of the laws that govern non-humans and non-noble humans have long been held within the courts and halls of Hiera, though only rarely did they find any credence. For years, the growing few worshipped in relative silence, some still attending the services of the High Church to uphold an image of societal norm. House Crux was slow to allow for the creation of spaces for Repentant Worship, and officially welcomed the CHR onto Hiera only after consulting the High Church, the Imperial House of Lyra, and the other Noble Houses on the matter. As the years passed, the number of adherents grew within House Crux, their prominence growing as did the CHR’s across the Sector. But it was not until 3122, inspired by House Pyxis’ split from House Vela, that a large enough group of Repentant followers would dare to publicly name themselves. Gathering from all across Hiera and the Empire, thousands of devotees met, many for the first time, at the foot of the Engelsberg, the Angel’s Mount, in Hiera’s north, worshipping together as adherents of the Church of Humanity, Repentant. It was within the caverns of the Engelsberg that Crucians of old are said to have first encountered the primary native alien species of Hiera, the Gaald, who were thereafter used for labor and their ability to digest certain substances into gold. By meeting at the Engelsberg, a monument to the many cruelties visited upon the native Gaald, the worshippers sought to conclude their Vigil, a journey of repentance. They declared themselves that day, peacefully, but loudly and firmly, the Hieratic Jabal, the Holy Mountain, those who would seek not just to uphold the Empire, but to better it. Interpretation of the Three Tenets and the Teachings of Repentance # The Soul begets Consciousness, Consciousness begets the Soul. # All conscious life is valuable and should be treated with respect. # We must atone for the mistakes of our past through Repentance, through Word and Deed. ''-The Three Tenets of the Repentant Faith'' Initially, the Hieratic Jabal was so named to represent its members’ fellowship as Crucians following the teachings of the CHR. As time passed, however, the existing beliefs and culture of the Hieran and Crucian people led certain beliefs and practices to become more or less prominent, as well as evolving or creating new ones. A point of difficulty for many Crucians who approach the Repentant Faith has been the nature of Synthetic Humans. For the majority of Crux nobles and even serfs, synths are soulless, non-sentient constructs of House Cygnus that are a threat to humanity and must be destroyed. Because the CHR strongly holds that synths do indeed have souls, members of House Crux have often turned away when met with this, finding it irreconcilable. Out of this struggle, the Jabal at large attempts reconciliation by suggesting that, while Synthetic Humans may have souls, they contain great evil and are a significant danger to other life within the Empire. Therefore they must necessarily be destroyed for the greater good of all, even if the deed itself may may not be wholly good. This belief leads members of the Jabal to often tend towards the Liberator ideological school, believing that the destruction of synths is a step on the path to greater Repentance for all. From this, many Crucians who come to the Repentant Faith and the Jabal have similar beliefs regarding House Cygnus, in that they see the end of Cygnus as necessary, though regrettable. The reasonings have been contentious and hotly debated, but often include Cygnus’ development of synths as beings denied their free will, the alleged intention of Cygnus to use Synthetics to control and dominate humanity, and Cygnus’ seeming refusal to repent of their deeds, some continuing to fight even after the Cygnus Emperox was assassinated. The Bombing of Gats was the culmination of two years of war, and for members of the Jabal it was a terribly lynchpin that prevented the war turning in Cygnus’ favor. Crucians who come to the CHR through the Hieratic Jabal often focus greatly on repenting for the ultimate fate of Gats, resolute in their belief that it had to be done, but that the cost was immeasurably heavy. That said, those who join the Jabal are often quite accepting of the Repentant theology regarding aliens, surprising some, given House Crux’s historically close ties with the High Church. It is commonly theorized that the presence of the Gaald on Hiera, living and working alongside the Crucian people instead of having been annihilated centuries ago, brings some Crucians to be more sympathetic and understanding towards alien species in general. Legislators and Nobles within House Crux have debated the laws and theology surrounding non-humans for as long as any can remember. Additionally, the Repentant practice of translating and spreading the Sacred Texts across the Empire for all to read and interpret is naturally appealing to some Crucians, who spend years reading, understanding, and interpreting the law even if their position is not always that of an Anwalt or Richter. Crucians know the law, and consequently are drawn to knowing the theology that often intertwines with it. Members of the Jabal are also particularly known for their hard work in translating the Sacred Texts into Hieran, a monumental task taken on by only a few determined souls. Members of the Jabal also tend to be unusually legalistic in how they follow and interpret Repentant teachings. Despite some specific divergences, the Hieratic Jabal follows very closely with what might be considered “mainline,” CHR teachings and practice, and members often look down upon or harbor some distaste for more divergent sects, viewing them as playing too loose with their interpretations of theology. Somewhat specific to the Jabal, those who ascribe to it and the Repentant Faith often lobby strongly for new and better laws within Acheron Rho, fighting for greater legal protections for non-humans, serfs, and freepeople. Members of the Jabal believe that change can happen, but that it must be slow and carefully undertaken. Imperial Law is an expression of Divine Law, and its shape is guidance for those it governs. In a similar vein, members of the Jabal and the Repentant Faith on Hiera often seek to make existing laws less complex and stringent. While laws can serve to guide, a thin line must be walked between guidance and command, which risks jeopardizing the will and individuality of conscious beings to find their own path to Repentance. History Early Years and Founding As mentioned above, Repentant sympathizers were present in small numbers on Hiera even to the earliest days of the CHR. For a long time, however, their numbers were too few, scattered, and divided to stand together, worshipping either in their own homes or as groups of a dozen or less. Many did not even publicly admit their adherence to the Repentant Faith, fearing backlash from family, friends, and the Judiciary as opinions were still forming and settling on how to react to the CHR. Even as the Church Repentant grew, its presence on Hiera remained relatively small. Outreach Centers and personal estates often served as the sites of worship for Hieran Repentant, the holy places of the planet reserved for the High Church and its followers. Numbers grew, but those who turned to the CHR most often did so quietly. Following the split of House Pyxis from House Vela in 3120, the Repentant faithful on Hiera began to feel emboldened. Years of peace under the Masked One and the Shining Star after had brought with it greater acceptance. Seeing their Noble cousins believe so firmly in a cause that they would leave their own House and set out on their own seemed brave to the Crucian Repentant. A movement spread like wildfire, a banner of rally, that sought to finally bring the Repentant of House Crux to light in the public eye. While they had no intention of leaving their House for the cause, it was widely agreed that the Repentant faithful of House Crux had spent too long walking fine lines and keeping silence about their beliefs. Fueling this movement, Anwältin Kari Anahita and Herzog Zamloch Hugo had met at Repentant gatherings in the city of Ven. Both brought exceptional intensity with their faith, Anahita later becoming a Simurgh (preacher) in Ven and Hugo funding the construction of several prominent Repentant worship sites across Hiera. Even before turning to Repentance, both were known as strong advocates for better rights for the Gaald on Hiera and Levies, Crucian serfs serving within the House Guard. Anahita brought before a gathering in Ven the idea of conducting a Vigil, a long-held Repentant practice of pilgrimage and repentance. Hugo, whose family had long worked with the Gaald to mine Hiera’s vast wealth of minerals, proposed the site of the Engelsberg, where the Gaald had allegedly first been encountered back before the Scream. From that moment, the idea spread, and word was passed from Repentant faithful to Repentant faithful to gather in the name of what they believed. The Engelsberg Vigil in 3122 was the first great step along a hard path for the Hieran Repentant. Crucians came from all over the Sector to gather in the cold at the base of the Angel’s Mount. Each worshipper performed what acts of repentance they could along the way, atoning for what they could, before meeting together for worship in a great clearing at the mountain’s base. Acts included gifts to estranged family members, donations to Hieran groups lobbying for better treatment of the Gaald, and the selling of possessions acquired during the Civil War against the Blood Eagle, the funds given to charity or other noble causes. The Vigil was broadcast across Hiera, watched closely by Crux officials with a wary eye. From that moment, footage spread, as did names of Officers and Levies and Anwalts and Richters that had proclaimed their faith that day simply by their presence. It was at this Vigil that the Hieran Repentant declared their unified name, the Hieratic Jabal, not to separate themselves from the CHR, but to unite themselves as Crucians. Jabal, a word of forgotten origins for mountain, was chosen both to remember the Vigil, and to represent the strength of unified conviction and faith that the Repentant of House Crux had gathered to proclaim. Not long after, Anwältin Anahita journeyed to Cabina to meet with the Exarchs of the CHR as a representative of the Jabal. Her trip was extended by several months, taking reassignment to the planet as she elected to spend time in Mugenjishi studying the Faith, its preaching, and the indigenous Cah-Binn. Herzog Hugo, the head of his family, would later muse how he wished he had followed Anahita’s example of learning and preaching, but he feared what backlash it might bring upon his kin, many of whom had not followed him into Repentance. House Cygnus and the War Against the Artificials While other sects found their way onto Hiera and into House Crux over the following years, the Hieratic Jabal remained the most numerous amongst members of House Crux. The number of faithful grew through the remainder of the Shining Star’s reign, and even into the beginning of the Cygnus Emperox’s years upon the Throne. The Jabal preached against the Crucian distrust of the Cygnus Synthetics during those years, but equally preached against how Cygnus used them, desiring Synthetics to be respected and valued as any other living being. Anwältin Anahita, who had become one of the leading preachers in the city of Ven by this time, led several peaceful demonstrations to denounce the “Crucian paranoia of the Synthetic Human.” In 3177, however, things drastically changed. With the revelation of Cygnus’ dark, power-hungry plot, many members of the Jabal and the Repentant faith turned away. Some did it out of fear, worrying they would somehow be lumped with Cygnus for not having distrusted the Synthetics. Others did it because they believed they had been led astray, and that Cygnus’ plot and power over their creations proved the synths had no souls. A few remained faithful, but their worship returned to secrecy, at times persecuted for refusing to accept the High Church’s excommunication of House Cygnus and the declaration that Synthetics were not human. Anwältin Anahita was smuggled offworld by Herzog Hugo and those of his family who had turned to Repentance, worrying for her safety as war loomed nearer every day. Whispers had begun to spread of distrust and even hate for the CHR amongst small groups of nobles who feared Cygnus had seeded the Repentant on Hiera in an attempt to keep Crux complacent. Anahita eventually made her way to Berkmann III, outside the Imperial Core. As the war that followed progressed, the Jabal became a memory to many, a sign of a more peaceful and foolish time. Those that remained faithful struggled to rationalize their duties in killing synths or members of House Cygnus, and a number of Repentant faithful were discharged or arrested for failing to follow orders. It was during this time the Repentant faith saw its lowest official numbers amongst members of House Crux since the Hieratic Jabal had been formed. And yet, as the war dragged on year after year, there were those who became disillusioned with it, who fought because it was their duty but who wished that there could be peace again. The war broke the Jabal, but in the end it also revived it. From Berkmann, Anahita wrote “The Nobility of Death - Sacrifice and Repentance,” a manifesto rationalizing the death of House Cygnus and the destruction of Synthetics as acts of repentance and necessity. The unrepentant would not always find their way to repentance, she argued, and at times their lives served only to bring harm to others. Anahita’s words took hold in the hearts of many Crucians, who had seen many horrors in the war and had begun to question if what they had done was right. Believers new and old began to turn towards the CHR and the Jabal, speaking against the swollen force of House Crux and as caution against Crux becoming no different than Cygnus had been through pride and arrogance. With the death of the Cygnus Emperox in 3199, Anwältin Anahita returned to Hiera, the Jabal resurged, and CHR outreach centers and places of worship began to be repaired or constructed anew. Sadly, the war had one last cost to exact. In the final year, as the remnants of Cygnus were being weeded out, Herzog Zamloch Hugo was killed by a Synthetic terrorist aboard his vessel as it returned from Hong Lu. The news was painful for Anwältin Anahita, but ultimately it solidified her belief that the fate of Cygnus and its Synthetics was necessary. Their destruction would mean that men like Herzog could live. The Sector Trade Organization and the Second War Unfortunately, the resurgence of the Jabal did not last long. The peace following the War Against the Artificials was quick to evaporate, and the conflict between the Noble Houses and the STO rose from the ashes, a slow, burbling tension that boiled over when ACRE Corporation attacked the Aquilan homeworld of Diomikato. Anwältin Anahita died the day ACRE’s space marines landed, having already been advanced in age when the Engelsburg Vigil took place. She had voted on behalf of the Jabal for the CHR to join the STO only a short time before, and some believed the long trip wore out what little life she had left. Her final recorded words to the faithful that surrounded her were “The Empire must repent.” In her stead, Graf Adler Ihab became the Simurgh of Ven and the leader of the Hieratic Jabal, a young but powerful speaker who had found favor in Anahita’s eyes. He took Anahita’s final words to heart, and in the months that followed it would cost him his life. When the CHR entered the war on the side of the STO, outreach centers and places of Repentant worship on Hiera were investigated. Graf Adler Ihab spoke loudly and openly against the move, quickly earning a name for himself as a “firebrand.” Ihab scolded House Crux, claiming that the STO and the attacks on Diomikato had been brought upon the Empire by its own sins and failure to repent. He was briefly detained and questioned, but was released on the grounds he posed no real threat beyond his words. As word and rumors reached Hiera of the CHR’s uprising on Prime and possible links to the devastating genocide on Orpheus, investigations of the Jabal and Repentant facilities turned into seizures, arrests, and imprisonment. Crucian serfs that had turned to Repentance either denied it or found themselves hauled away for questioning and detention. Crucian Nobles turned away from the CHR and the Jabal in droves. Jihad was declared by House Crux in response to the CHR’s attempted seize of the sacred world, Imperial Prime, and confusion swept through the Jabal. Remembering Anahita’s words, “the Empire must repent,” and her manifesto from the War Against the Artificials, Graf Adler Ihab refused to back down, proclaiming loudly that Orpheus’ fate was a fate the whole Empire deserved, the price they had to pay for all the wrongs they had brought upon the Sector. The Jabal split, the larger portion of what remained in solidarity with the Concord of Peace on Cabina, preaching against the CHR’s actions in the war and voluntarily allowing themselves to be investigated and questioned by House Crux’s officers. Ihab’s followers, mostly serfs with a handful of nobles, marched through the streets of Ven, demanding that Crucians repent of their sins. Officers were brought in to contain the march, and Ihab was arrested and imprisoned, sent up to Khal, The Convict’s Moon for his anti-Imperial rhetoric. There, Graf Ihab was beaten to death by an unknown assailant as he folded laundry. Rumor claims an assassin was dispatched to “deal with,” Ihab, but by whom and for what reason remains unknown. Later, it was revealed that Ihab, along with a few close allies as representatives of the Jabal to Cabina, had voted in favor of the actions on Prime without consultation of the Jabal’s greater following, an act that has left Ihab’s name a sour one to the ears of most members of the Jabal. Back on Hiera, a preacher from a smaller northern town, Kral Molnar Kiriana, was rising quickly within the ranks of the scattered Jabal. Unlike Ihab, Kiriana believed Anahita’s words, “the Empire must repent,” were spoken of the whole Sector, not just the Noble Houses. Kiriana believed that Anahita had foreseen the war with the STO in her final moments, and the repentance the Empire needed was for the deeds that those on both sides would commit. In addition, she focused on the repentance in Anahita’s older manifesto, “The Nobility of Death - Sacrifice and Repentance,” rather than the deeds. Kiriana saw Cygnus’ fate as a last resort, one that Anahita had repented for her entire life. Kirana did not believe that the STO’s war was justified as a last resort, rather viewing it as preemptive and misguided. When news of Ihab’s death reached Hiera and the Jabal, the sect’s numbers dropped even further, many resorting to worshipping in secret for fear of what might happen to them under the Jihad against the CHR. The few that remained declared Kiriana the new Simurgh of Ven, and she hesitantly accepted, not believing herself worthy of such an elevated position. She was briefly questioned and investigated by House Crux, who discovered that, despite her lesser title, Kiriana was connected with a large and powerful Crucian family. Whether it was her cooperativeness or her blood that saved her from potential incarceration, Kiriana was ultimately released and allowed to continue as a preacher. Unlike Ihab, Kirana preached a message of peace and introspection. Something was wrong within the Empire. For centuries there had been peace, only for it to vanish in two, devastating, consecutive wars. The Empire fixated on the hows, the attacks on Diomikato and Orpheus, but many failed to interrogate the whys. Perhaps the Empire had grown complacent, left festering wickedness alone too long within itself. Perhaps there were indeed things about the Imperial way of life that needed to be examined, and perhaps changed. As the war waned, ACRE absorbed by House Eridanus and House Vela destroyed, word spread that the CHR and Cabina were in turmoil. Kiriana and the Jabal cut ties with Cabina, declaring itself a wholly independent sect of the Repentant Faith, hoping to show themselves trustworthy in the eyes of House Crux. Argument was made that the actions of the CHR were not the actions of the Jabal, and while some have found fortune and credence in such claims, it will still be many years before the Repentant Faith on Hiera and within House Crux truly regains its former success. Notable Figures Anwältin Crux Kari Anahita, Simurgh of Ven The first “Simurgh of Ven,” a title granted to a preacher of the Jabal’s largest congregation in the city of Ven and the primary representative of the Jabal to the CHR. Anahita wrote “The Nobility of Death - Sacrifice and Repentance,” a work that was initially well received as strongly pro-Imperial but in more recent years has bordered on treason in some circles. She was renowned for her powerful preaching and thoughtfulness. Herzog Zamloch Hugo A Repentant adherent and close friend of Anwältin Anahita. Hugo was responsible for funding a great many of the worship places and outreach centers of the Jabal on Hiera. He lost his life to a Synthetic assassin that had infiltrated his ship during a visit to Hong Lu in the waning hours of the War Against the Artificials. Graf Adler Ihab Anwältin Anahita’s successor as the Simurgh of Ven. Graf Adler Ihab strongly believed the Empire’s misdeeds had brought the war with the STO upon themselves, and was watched close by House Crux for his inflammatory preaching. Ihab was eventually arrested following the actions of the CHR on Imperial Prime, and he was killed on Khal, the Convict’s Moon by an unknown assailant. Kral Molnar Kiriana A lesser-known, unlanded noble from one of Hiera’s northern towns. Many looked up to her when the Jabal split between Ihab’s followers and those who supported the Concord of Peace. Kirana re-interpreted the statements and works of Anwältin Anahita to reflect a more peaceful outlook, and she succeeded Graf Ihab as Simrugh of Ven when word of Ihab’s death reached Hiera. Currently, she is hard at work cooperating with any outstanding Crux investigations of the Jabal and attempting to evangelize to the Crucian people. Hierarchy The Hieratic Jabal has a loose hierarchy, rooted in the Crucian respect for the importance of family and family lines. Many followers use titles sparingly, focusing on their Crucian ones instead, but in casual conversation they may refer to each other as “sibling,” or “cousin,” informally. Adherent Adherent is a general term for those who come to worship. At times, it is more specifically applied to someone who is new or a first generation member. Rather than a sign of lowly status, Adherents are often celebrated, as their joining indicates growth in the Repentant Faith and the Jabal. Artabid This is a less-used title for those whose families have been in the Jabal for several generations, commonly interchangeable with the term ‘Elder.’ Artabids are commonly consulted when it comes time for a new preacher to be chosen for an existing or newly developing group of followers, but otherwise are often grouped as Adherents. Simurgh This is the title of reverence used for those who preach, given as a sign of wisdom, spiritual conviction, and healing. Some within the Jabal see repentance as a form of healing one’s soul, and those who preach are guides on the path of word and deed that each repentant soul must follow. Other laypeople have no specific title, and are typically referred to by their calling, such as teacher, music director, or treasurer. Category:House Crux Category:Repentant Sects or Religious Orders Category:Hiera Category:CHR Sects or Religious Orders Category:The Church of Humanity, Repentant